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Annual Whitworth Institute of Ministry
WIM 2012 will take place July 9-13
"Our Hope for Years to Come": Theological Foundations during Turbulent Times
Tension has always been present in the church. Sometimes it comes from internal theological disagreements; at other times it issues from threats incubated in external host cultures. Many Christian leaders today experience these dual tensions. In turbulent times, church leaders have found strength, wisdom and guidance to envision a trajectory for adaptive change from those who have gone before them. What can we learn from our past that will help us lead more effectively as we strive to live faithfully in our commitments to the gospel and to the church?
Our three plenary speakers for WIM 2012 have been chosen to address this essential need for clarity in the midst of confusion:
Rich Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, has guided discussions about these matters for both the academy and the church. Rich is highly regarded as both a scholar and a church leader, and he will be preaching Tuesday-Thursday evenings, as well as Friday morning at our commissioning service.
We have also invited MaryKate Morse, professor of leadership and spiritual formation at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, to be our morning Bible-hour speaker. MaryKate holds graduate degrees in biblical studies (M.A. and M.Div.) and a Ph.D. in leadership studies, specializing in the characteristics of renewal leadership as modeled by Jesus. She is a recorded Quaker pastor, church planter, spiritual director, conference and retreat speaker, and author of Making Room for Leadership. She will speak each morning from Jesus' parables and from Romans 12 on the theme of "Jesus' Kingdom Theology as the Foundation for Christ-Centered Change."
Finally, we welcome Rev. Tod Bolsinger, senior pastor at California's San Clemente Presbyterian Church, who will preach on Monday evening in worship and will lead a seminar, "As It is in Heaven? The Church and Our Churches." Tod has written extensively on the topic of adaptive change and is currently the chair of the Commission on Middle Governing Bodies for the Presbyterian Church (USA), helping to guide the denomination through this time of transition.
In addition, we are thrilled to offer several workshops for those who wish to focus specifically on the following issues:
- The perspectives and questions of younger pastors: "Leading On in Times of Change" will be led by Mindy Smith, Whitworth University's campus pastor; and Jerry Deck, executive director of Presbyterian Global Fellowship.
- Worship leadership: "Let All Creation Sing! Singing and Leading Music from the Church Universal" will be led by Ben Brody, associate professor of music at Whitworth, along with other members of the WIM music leadership team.
WIM's gifted leaders and communicators will set the context for stimulating reflection, spiritual renewal and personal refreshment. We are grateful for your faithful commitment to leadership in Christ's church, and we look forward to supporting you in that work through your participation in this summer's Whitworth Institute of Ministry. The campus of Whitworth University, and the surrounding region, are especially beautiful in the summer, and we look forward to hosting you on our campus July 9-13. May Christ's peace abide with each of you. |
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